CH 33.5

Second, hard work is bound to yield results, just like Wu Wei’an, who got third place in the Spring Imperial Examination.

Third, Wu Wei’an loves Ji Yunxi miserably. Love gives people strength.

Ji Yunxi crumpled the paper back expressionlessly.

While thinking to herself that maybe this is the poisonous chicken soup that modern people said.

After all, the one that gave him strength was the money.

–

When Wu Wei’an arrived at the gate of the palace, the candidates had already gone inside.

He was panting, and followed the crowd to move forward inside little by little at the end of the line.

At the gate, the guards were checking the things that the candidates brought one by one.

In only half a day, Wu Wei’an has become a famous person among scholars.

When the people nearby saw him, they spontaneously greeted him.

Wu Wei’an’s face was still very bad. He tried to squeeze out a smile. He was a little afraid but he summoned up the courage to respond to everyone.

The Palace Examination was so sudden that all the candidates were talking about it.

Many people guessed that this matter must have something to do with Wu Wei’an. After the list was released, there were also many people who reported that Wu Wei’an cheated, and that it was the Minister of Civil Officials who leaked the questions out.

But Wu Wei’an was next to them after all, and the crying and the words he said in the morning impressed everyone so deeply that they tacitly did not mention this in front of them.

“I am actually very panicked when it is suddenly shifted to such an earlier date.”

“Me too. After the Spring Imperial Examination, I took a month off. I thought I would prepare for the Palace Examination after the list was published, but now there is no time anymore! I haven’t read a book for a month, and I can’t even remember some of the content clearly. What should I do?”

“Brother Wu, you should have prepared for the Imperial Examination this entire month too, right?”

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Wu Wei’an struggled a little in carrying his small bamboo basket, but he nodded when he heard the words, and said somewhat embarrassedly: “Yes. I am afraid that I will let Yun Niang down, so I have never slacked off. This month, I also study from morning to night and I haven’t slept that much either. As soon as I got back this morning, I also started to study again.”

The surrounding scholars were amazed.

“My God. Brother Wu, you really worked so hard! I am ashamed of myself!”

“No wonder you look so bad!”

Wu Wei’an said weakly: “No, no, I’m still lazy. On the way here just now, I still found some time to see Yun Niang. Otherwise, I could study a while longer.”

“Whoa! Whoa! …”

Immediately, bursts of exclamation sound could be heard coming from the crowd.

A total of 288 people took part in the Palace Examination, but in the end only 231 people arrived on time.

Some of them knew about the news too late and it was already past the allowed time when they arrived at the gate. The bodyguard refused to let them in, so they could only cry bitterly in front of the palace gate.

Some knew that they were on the list, and they went to drink the flower wine[1] in a good mood, and at the moment they were still drunk in the land of warmth and tenderness.

Duke Jiang and several old scholars have also been invited to the palace.

Several scholars were not young anymore, and they were all suddenly brought into the palace by the imperial decree so suddenly. But after all, they also had been in great storms before, so they all looked perfectly calm and collected, and soon put their effort into preparing for the Palace Examination.

Each and every one of them is very knowledgeable, and it is not difficult for them to set the question. It didn’t take long for them to choose the questions and let all the candidates take the test.

After the examination, their papers will be reviewed by the scholars of the Imperial Academy, together with several old scholars.

After the review, only thirty-eight people were left to participate in the question and answer in front of the hall.

The content of the question and answer is based on the article written by the candidates.

After this process, it was the afternoon of the next day when the questions and answers were given in front of the hall.

Everyone stayed up all night, all very tired. The students are so, and it is even more so for the several elderly scholars.

[1] flower wine: drink by the company of prostitutes.